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REPORT  AND 

RECOMMENDATIONS 


“ T '>*  • 

SPECIAL  COMMITTEE 
of 

The  Chicago  Association  of*Comm«-ce 

I 


on  the 


CONDITIONS  AND  AFFAIRS 

of  the 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
Urbana-Champaign,  III. 


I 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 


University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/reportrecommendaOOchic  j 

i 


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T^Gu-Tio 

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YOUR  committee,  appointed  to  inspect  the  conditions  and 
affairs  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  lend  the  sup- 
port of  the  Association  to  the  budget  to  be  laid  before 
the  legislature  for  its  maintenance  and  development,  begs 
leave  to  report  as  follows : 

We  have  examined  into  the  affairs  of  the  University  as 
fully  and  carefully  as  time  and  opportunity  would  permit 
and  have  given  consideration  to  its  present  condition  and  fu- 
ture needs.  Two  members  of  your  committee  have  visited  the 
institution  and  have  consulted  with  various  officers  and  mem- 
bers of  its  staff.  We  have  also  examined  the  annual  report 
of  the  Comptroller  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1920,  and 
several  statements  issued  by  the  President  of  the  University 
describing  its  present  difficulties  and  setting  forth  the  finan- 
cial plan  for  the  coming  biennium. 

Like  all  citizens  of  Illinois  who  have  not  been  previ- 
ously acquainted  with  the  University,  we  have  been  very 
greatly  impressed  both  by  the  magnitude  of  the  institution 
and  the  diverse  character  and  excellence  of  the  services  which 
it  is  rendering  the  people  of  the  State.  It  is  a matter  of 
surprise  to  us  that  so  many  of  our  fellow  citizens  are  but  little, 
if  at  all,  acquainted  with  the  greatness  of  this  institution,  and 
its  high  standing  among  the  educational  and  scientific  insti- 
tutions not  only  of  the  country,  but  of  the  world.  Some  means 
should  be  devised  to  bring  the  University  before  the  people 
so  frequently  that  at  least  a majority  of  our  fellow  citizens 
would  have  some  adequate  idea  of  what  it  is  and  what  it  does. 
For,  as  a former  Governor  once  said,  “The  University  is  not 
merely  a center  of  instruction  where  young  men  and  women 
may  prepare  themselves  for  efficient  citizenship,  but  it  is  also 
an  important  center  for  scientific  investigation,  in  which  sig- 
nificant and  far-reaching  contributions  are  constantly  made 
towards  the  solution  of  problems  concerning  our  agriculture, 
manufactures,  and  commerce.’ ’ He  might  have  added  also 
towards  the  solution  of  some  of  our  complex  legislative  and 
social  problems. 


3 


Needless  to  say,  an  institution  of  the  extent  and  diverse 
activity  of  a modern  university,  especially  a state  university, 
requires  large  and  constantly  increasing*  funds  to  prosecute 
its  work.  This  is  true  not  only  because  the  number  of  young 
men  and  women  seeking  an  education  at  the  University  is 
constantly  increasing  with  population,  but  perhaps  in  a larger 
measure  because  the  increasing  complexity  of  the  life  of  the 
State  throws  upon  the  University  a demand  for  investigation 
into  an  increasing  and  multiferious  complexity  of  technical, 
economic  and  social  problems.  Practically  every  interest  of 
the  State  is  calling  upon  the  University  for  the  solution  of 
problems  whose  solution  adds  to  the  general  welfare.  As  will  > 
be  indicated  later,  the  solution  of  these  problems  returns  to 
the  State,  even  from  an  economic  point  of  view,  far  more  than 
their  investigation  costs,  so  that  money  expended  on  the  re-  ?' 
search  side  of  the  institution  is  properly  regarded  as  an  in- 
vestment yielding  direct  returns.  It  goes  without  saying  that 
the  training  of  our  men  and  women  is  an  investment  of  even 
a more  important  character  although  its  economic  returns  are 
less  direct. 

The  Physical  University 

Considered  as  a physical  plant,  the  University  of  Illinois 
has  two  great  divisions.  The  main  University  is  located  at 
Urbana  on  the  border  line  between  that  city  and  Champaign, 
so  that  it  is  equally  well  described  as  being  located  for  rail- 
road, telegraph,  and  express  purposes,  at  either  Urbana  or 
Champaign.  The  other  great  division  of  the  University,  com- 
prising the  College  of  Medicine,  the  College  of  Dentistry,  and 
the  School  of  Pharmacy,  is  located  in  Chicago  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Cook  County  Hospital. 

At  Urbana  the  University  has  60  buildings,  230  acres  in 
its  campus,  and  991  acres  in  its  farms.  A considerable  por-  * 
tion  of  the  campus  proper  is  taken  up  with  experimental 
plots  in  agriculture,  including  floriculture,  forestry,  and  other 
sub-divisions.  As  the  University  is  in  the  heart  of  the  corn 
belt,  it  is  favorably  situated  for  practical  experimentation  and 
demonstration  of  agricultural  problems  relating  to  corn  pro- 
duction, but  its  agricultural  work  extends  to  every  part  of 
the  State  and  to  every  large  agricultural  interest.  When  we 


4 


remember  that  agriculturally  Illinois  is  more  diverse  than 
almost  any  other  state  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  we  appre- 
ciate the  multitude  of  lines  of  experiment  which  the  College 
of  Agriculture  and  its  Experiment  Station  must  conduct. 

Among  the  principal  buildings  are  the  Physics  Labora- 
tory, the  Chemistry  Laboratory,  the  Natural  History  Hall, 
the  College  of  Commerce  Building,  the  Educational  Building, 
Engineering  Hall,  Ceramics  Building,  Laboratories  of  Me- 
chanical and  Electrical  Engineering,  the  Locomotive  Testing 
Laboratory,  the  Transportation  Building,  the  Agricultural 
Building,  the  Law  Building,  the  Smith-Memorial  Hall  of  Music 
and  the  Armory — the  latter  one  of  the  largest  and  most  com- 
plete buildings  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States. 

A further  word  about  the  Militiary  Department  may  not 
be  out  of  place.  It  is  perhaps  the  largest  and  most  important 
university  military  organization  in  the  country.  At  present 
the  work  requires  103  cadet  officers,  and  14  United  States 
Army  officers,  together  with  100  enlisted  men.  Training  is 
given  to  about  2,700  young  men  at  the  present  time.  Besides 
the  training  in  infantry,  training  is  also  given  in  cavalry,  ar- 
tillery, signal  corps,  engineering  corps,  and  aeronautics. 

According  to  the  Report  of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Uni- 
versity for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1920,  the  original  cost 
of  the  land  owned  by  the  University  is  $1,079,315,  and  the 
original  cost  of  the  buildings,  including  cost  of  additions, 
is  $5,295,785.  The  present  value  of  the  land  and  buildings 
is  probably  much  greater. 

Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  physical  plant  may  be 
gained  from  the  statement  that  the  University  supplies  its 
own  heat,  light,  steam,  electricity,  and  water. 

The  Divisions  and  Work  of  the  University 

The  work  of  the  University  may  be  divided  into  four  or 
five  different  divisions,  i.  e.,  the  usual  under-graduate  college 
teaching,  although  in  many  more  subjects  than  some  of  the 
older  institutions  treat;  the  graduate  work  of  training  new 
faculty  and  executive  staff,  investigation  and  research,  and 
extension  work  of  various  kinds. 


5 


As  a teaching  institution  the  University  has  eight  col- 
leges and  four  schools  and  several  bureaus  and  divisions. 
The  colleges  are  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences, 
the  College  of  Agriculture,  the  College  of  Engineering,  the 
College  of  Commerce,  the  College  of  Education,  the  College 
of  Law,  the  College  of  Medicine  which  is  in  Chicago,  and  the 
College  of  Dentistry  also  in  Chicago.  The  schools  are  the 
School  of  Library  Science,  the  School  of  Music,  the  School  of 
Pharmacy  in  Chicago,  and  the  Graduate  School.  The  bureaus 
and  divisions  are  Military,  Physical  Education,  and  the  Stu- 
dent Health  Service. 

The  University  has  museums  of  Classical  Art,  Arch- 
aeology, European  Culture,  Natural  History,  and  Oriental 
History,  but  it  lias  no  building  in  which  these  collections  can 
be  displayed. 

The  University  as  a Public  Service  Institution 

Research  and  extension  work  are  classed  under  this  head. 
Research  is  conducted  through  three  organizations,  the  Grad- 
uate School,  the  Engineering  Experiment  Station,  and  the 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station.  The  Graduate  School  is  an 
organization  of  all  departments  of  the  University  to  train  in- 
vestigators and  to  conduct  research  in  every  line.  The  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station  is  specifically  devoted  to  agricul- 
ture, and  its  great  work  is  too  well  known  to  need  descrip- 
tion. The  Engineering  Experiment  Station  was  the  first  of 
the  kind  in  the  country,  and  its  investigations  are  known  for 
their  great  value. 

The  extension  work  of  the  University  is  limited  but  im- 
portant. Members  of  the  staff  are  called  on  to  go  to  all  parts 
of  the  State  many  times  a year,  and  several  men  are  going 
about  for  this  purpose  practically  all  the  time. 

Staff  and  Students 

The  total  number  of  people  required  for  the  operation  of 
the  University,  including  the  teaching  and  research  staff,  the 
administrative  staff,  the  clerical  staff,  and  employees  of  all 
kind,  is  1,331.  The  educational  staff  numbers  861.  The  gross, 
enrollment  of  the  University  for  the  academic  year  1919-1920,. 


including  the  summer  session,  was  9,208.  The  gross  enroll- 
ment for  the  current  academic  year  will  he  over  10,000,  includ- 
ing the  summer  session.  The  number  present  and  seeking 
and  receiving  instruction  in  November  of  1920  at  one  time, 
not  including  the  summer  session,  was  8,262.  Of  these  some 
2,400  were  in  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences;  1,700 
in  the  College  of  Commerce;  1,600  in  the  College  of  Engineer- 
ing; 1,100  in  the  College  of  Agriculture;  750  in  the  Chicago 
Departments,  and  the  rest  in  smaller  groups  in  the  other  col- 
leges and  schools. 

Comparison  With  Other  Institutions 

The  important  part  of  the  University  is,  of  course,  its 
men  and  women.  In  these  days  good  teaching  and  research 
require  more  than  ever  expensive  equipment.  Ten  years 
ago  the  Association  of  Commerce  gave  its  influence  to  the 
promotion  of  the  interests  of  the  University  so  powerfully 
that  the  institution  received  a great  impetus  in  the  improve- 
ment of  its  equipment  and  in  the  increase  of  its  operating  in- 
come. At  that  time  our  institution  was  inferior  to  its  leading 
competitors,  both  in  its  physical  equipment  and  the  means  at 
its  command  for  employing  a proper  staff.  Although  much 
has  been  accomplished  in  the  intervening  period,  other  insti- 
tutions have  also  forged  ahead,  and  the  relative  situation  of 
our  State  institution  today  is  not  much  improved  over  what 
it  was  eleven  years  ago.  The  needs  of  the  development  of 
the  University  have  gone  forward  in  the  past  decade  by  leaps 
and  bounds.  It  is  important,  therefore,  to  compare  the  pres- 
ent status  of  the  University  of  Illinois  in  certain  respects 
with  that  of  some  of  her  sister  institutions. 

The  heart  of  an  educational  institution  is  its  library.  In 
this  respect  the  University  of  Illinois  is  much  below  the  posi- 
tion which  it  should  occupy.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
the  main  University  is  down  in  the  country  where  it  is  not 
possible  for  students  and  faculty  to  have  access  to  great  col- 
lections of  books  other  than  those  which  the  University  itself 
possesses.  Comparative  figures  upon  this  subject  are  as  fol- 
lows : 


Total  vols.  within  easy 


Name  of  reach,  incl.  vols.  in  Vols.  in  Univ. 

Institution  Univ.  Lib.  Library 

Columbia 5,780,000  709,849 

Harvard 4,312,000  1,940,600* 

Chicago  2,477,500  570,849 

Pennsylvania 2,265,500  481,190 

Yale 1,425,500  1,253,830 

California 1,039,000  392,682 

Johns  Hopkins 1,010,000  216,137 

Minnesota  983,000  280,000 

Michigan  885,000  413,666 

Wisconsin  743,000  481,3951 

Cornell  630,000  603,100 

Princeton 532,000  429,286 

Illinois 462,000  (Urbana only)  418,949 


* Includes  volumes  and  pamphlets  in  all  departments. 

1 Includes  Wisconsin  State  Hist.  Library  in  same  build- 
ing. 

The  per  capita  student  investment  in  buildings  in  several 
institutions  is  shown  in  the  following  table,  and  again  it  ap- 
pears that  Illinois  is  low,  showing  that  the  expense  of  main- 
taining the  University  of  Illinois  is,  from  this  point  of  view, 
considerably  less  than  that  of  other  institutions: 

Cost  of  Buildings,  June  30,  1920,  per  Head  of  Student  Enroll- 


ment November  1,  1920 

University  of  Minnesota $832 

^University  of  Iowa 747 

University  of  Wisconsin 719 

^University  of  Michigan 708 

University  of  Illinois 642 

tUniversity  of  Ohio 427 

* Agricultural  College  not  included. 


t Agricultural  Experiment  Station  not  included. 

Per  Capita  Burden  on  the  People  for  the  Support  of 

Universities 

The  following  table  shows  the  University  income  for 
1920-21  per  head  of  population  for  several  states,  the  1920 
Census  figures  being  taken  for  population : 


8 


University  Agric.  Coll.  Total 

Wisconsin $1.14  $1.14 

Minnesota 1.38  1.38 

Iowa 77  $0.55  1.32 

Michigan 80  .26  1.06 

Ohio 30  .25  .55 

Indiana 22  .26  .48 

Illinois 39  .39 


That  is  to  say,  Michigan  contributes  more  than  twice  as 
much,  Wisconsin  practically  three  times  as  much,  and  Min- 
nesota and  Iowa  over  three  times  as  much  per  head  as  do  the 
people  of  Illinois  for  the  maintenance  of  the  various  lines  of 
work  done  at  our  State  University.  In  Michigan,  Iowa,  and 
Indiana  the  agricultural  courses  are  given  at  separate  insti- 
tutions. In  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  Illinois  they  are  given 
at  the  same  place  as  the  rest  of  the  university  work.  In  Ohio 
state  appropriations  to  maintain  the  same  work  as  is  done 
at  the  University  of  Illinois  are  made  to  three  institutions 
besides  that  at  Columbus,  namely,  Ohio  University  at  Athens, 
Miami  University  at  Oxford,  and  the  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station  at  Wooster.  In  cases  where  the  institutions  are  sepa- 
rate, appropriations  to  them  are  combined  in  order  to  make  a 
fair  comparison  with  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  and  Illinois. 

Income  and  Expenditures  of  the  University 

Largely  as  a result  of  the  efforts  of  the  Association  of 
Commerce,  the  legislature  passed  in  1911  an  Act  whereby 
a tax  of  one  mill  on  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  taxable 
property  of  the  State  was  assessed  for  University  appropria- 
tions. This  tax  was  reduced  to  two-thirds  of  a mill  by  amend- 
ment of  the  law  in  1919.  It  was  naturally  supposed  that  such 
a tax  would  yield  an  increasing  income  from  year  to  year  as 
the  wealth  and  assessed  value  of  the  property  of  the  State  in- 
creased. As  a matter  of  fact,  such  has  not  been  the  case. 
The  receipts  of  the  University  mill  tax  fund  increased  very 
much  more  slowly  than  either  population  or  wealth.  The  an- 
nual receipts  for  the  University  from  the  mill  tax  fund  were 
as  follows: 


9 


1909- 10  ] $1,151,7500 

1910- 11  l 1,151,750  [Direct  appropriations 

| 1,692,150  f out  of  Revenue 

J 1,692,150  J 

^ . } 2,250,000 

1914- 15  } 2,250,000 

1915- 16  2,424,870.95 

1916- 17  2,575,129.05 

1917- 18  2,338,263.58 

1918- 19  2,341,933.77 

1919- 20  } 2,500,000 

1920- 21  2,500,000 


Since  1911  the  income  from  the  mill  tax  for  operation  has 
increased  only  about  11  per  cent.  In  the  meantime  the  num- 
ber of  students  actually  present  and  receiving  instruction  at 
one  time  has  increased  more  than  100  per  cent.  Meanwhile, 
the  prices  of  everything  have  practically  doubled.  In  other 
words,  the  operating  income  for  the  University  from  the  mill 
tax  has  increased  only  about  one-tenth  as  much  as  the  num- 
ber of  the  student  body,  and  the  cost  of  equipment  and  sup- 
plies has  in  the  meantime  increased  100  per  cent. 

The  gross  income  of  the  University  includes,  however, 
not  only  receipts  from  the  mill  tax  fund  or  State  taxes,  but 
also  certain  items  from  the  United  States,  from  student  fees, 
and  from  sales  and  gifts.  The  University  received  last  year 
(1919-20)  from  the  Federal  Government  $313,527.  This  in- 
cludes the  University’s  share  of  appropriations  made  by  Con- 
gress for  the  promotion  of  agriculture  and  vocational  edu- 
cation, $261,000  of  the  whole  going  to  the  former  account. 
This  money,  is  therefore,  not  available  for  the  ordinary  work 
of  the  University. 

From  student  fees  the  University  collected  in  the  last 
fiscal  year  $353,683.  From  sales  and  miscellaneous  sources, 
most  of  the  proceeds  going  into  the  revolving  funds  mainly 
for  the  commercial  departments  of  the  College  of  Agricul- 
ture, $377,500  were  collected. 


10 


In  addition  to  the  mill  tax  appropriation  the  last  legis- 
lature appropriated  to  the  University  a certain  snm  outside 
of  the  mill  tax  for  building  purposes.  For  a clinical  labora- 
tory at  the  College  of  Medicine  $300,000  was  given  and  for 
cavalry  stables  at  Urbana,  $25,000. 

The  total  income,  therefore,  of  the  University  from  all 
sources  for  all  purposes  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1920, 
was  $3,916,249. 

The  Business  Organization  of  the  University 

Business  men  are  inclined  to  raise  questions  about  the 
efficiency  of  the  business  organization  and  methods  of  educa- 
tional institutions.  We  have  examined  into  the  business  or- 
-f  ganization  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  At  the  head  is  the 
Comptroller  of  the  University.  Under  him  is  an  Assistant 
Comptroller,  a Bursar,  an  Auditor,  and  a Purchasing  Agent. 
Each  of  the  three  latter  has  assistants,  with  the  necessary 
number  of  clerks,  stenographers,  and  bookkeepers,  the  total 
number  in  the  staff  being  thirty-six.  In  addition,  there  is  a 
Treasurer  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  recently 
the  office  of  Superintendent  of  Business  Operations  has  been 
created,  the  duty  of  the  incumbent  being  to  keep  the  Presi- 
dent informed  on  the  efficiency  of  the  business  operations  of 
all  departments  of  the  University. 

All  expenditures  are  made  on  requisitions  duly  approved 
by  several  officers;  all  purchases  are  made  through  the  Pur- 
chasing Agent,  standard  articles  largely  in  use  being  bought 
in  quantities,  and  purchases  exceeding  $100  are  let  by  con- 
l tract  after  competition.  Such  articles  as  require  expert 
judgment  are  bought  by  or  on  advice  of  the  experts  of  the 
University,  acting  as  agents  of  the  Purchasing  Agent  and  the 
f Comptroller,  under  regular  procedure  and  due  authority. 
Monthly  reports  are  made  by  the  Comptroller  and  the  Treas- 
urer, and  quarterly  financial  reports  are  published  in  the 
minutes  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Quarterly  audits  are  also 
made  by  a Chicago  firm  of  accountants.  The  Comptroller  of 
the  University  is  himself  a Certified  Public  Accountant.  The 
rules  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  regulating  expenditures  have 


11 


been  examined  by  ns  and  we  think  that  these  and  the  organi- 
zation are  adequate  to  insure  careful  expenditure  and  to  pre- 
vent waste  and  inefficient  operation.  All  employees  who  han- 
dle mony  are  under  bond. 

Present  Conditions  at  the  University 

The  difficulties  under  which  the  University  is  laboring 
in  carrying  on  its  work  have  been  set  forth  in  circulars  issued 
by  the  President  of  the  University  during  the  past  twelve 
months.  In  these  circulars  attention  is  called  particularly  to 
the  following  points: 

* 

Two  years  ago  a building  was  erected  for  the  College  of 
Education.  Owing  to  the  lack  of  funds  it  has  not  been  . 
equipped  and  a staff  has  not  been  employed. 

Salaries  have  been  and  are  in  many  cases  too  small,  so 
that  it  has  been  difficult  and  at  times  impossible  to  secure 
properly  qualified  teachers. 

In  the  meantime,  the  research  work  in  agriculture,  engi- 
neering, and  other  lines  has  been  seriously  curtailed.  It 
should  be  remembered  in  this  connection  that  the  contribu- 
tions made  directly  to  the  people  through  its  research  un- 
doubtedly are  many  fold  the  total  appropriations  which  the 
University  has  received  from  its  establishment.  Only  recent- 
ly was  the  University  able  to  announce  that  it  had  devel- 
oped a new  variety  of  wheat  which  has,  on  a five-year  aver- 
age, outyielded  other  varieties  by  six  bushels  to  the  acre. 

When  we  remember  that  nearly  two  and  a half  million  acres  £ 
were  planted  to  wheat  in  Illinois  last  year,  we  can  get  some 
idea  of  what  this  means  to  the  farmers  of  this  State. 

* 

The  extension  Avork  of  the  University  has  also  been  di- 
minished. 

Classes  are  too  large  to  teach  properly.  This  fall  there 
Avere  being  conducted  838  classes,  each  larger  than  the  stand- 
ard number  of  25.  Of  the  total,  357  had  in  them  35  students 
enrolled  and  135  had  in  them  50  each. 


12 


The  Chicago  Departments 


Probably  few  members  of  the  Association  and  undoubt- 
edly a still  smaller  proportion  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago  know 
that  an  important  part  of  the  work  of  the  University  is  car- 
ried on  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  As  already  stated,  this  is  the 
work  in  medicine,  dentistry,  and  pharmacy.  But  it  is  con- 
ducted under  conditions  which  make  it  impossible  for  the 
men  in  charge  to  do  their  best,  and  with  a lack  of  buildings 
and  other  equipment  which  have  made  it  impossible  for  the 
^ University  in  its  medical  and  dental  departments  to  take  a 
place  in  the  front  rank  of  institutions  doing  such  work.  The 
buildings  used  by  the  College  of  Medicine  and  the  College  of 
'f  Dentistry  are  old  and  out  of  date,  expensive  to  maintain, 
hard  to  keep  clean,  and  in  a large  measure  unsuited  to  the 
work.  The  opportunity  for  the  promotion  of  the  welfare  of 
the  people  of  the  State  in  matters  of  health  and  sanitation 
is  practically  unlimited.  The  means  provided  to  take  advan- 
tage of  that  opportunity  are  pitiful.  The  equipment  available 
for  the  first  two  years  of  work  of  the  medical  courses  are  fair- 
ly good,  and  the  staff  for  this  scientific  work  is  of  a high 
order.  The  equipment  for  the  clinical  work  in  medicine  is 
wholly  lacking,  and  the  University  has  to  depend  upon  facili- 
ties put  at  its  disposal  by  members  of  its  clinical  faculty  who 
have  connections  with  hospitals  in  the  city  and  who  in  return 
for  their  connection  with  the  College  place  these  hospital 
facilities  at  its  disposal.  The  State,  through  its  University, 
l should  own  and  control  its  own  hospitals.  Unless  immediate 
steps  are  taken  to  supply  the  proper  clinical  facilities  to  the 
College  of  Medicine  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  to  supply 
1 better  facilities  for  its  College  of  Dentistry,  the  University 
may  as  well  close  those  departments.  Fortunately,  for  the 
good  name  of  the  State,  and  its  educational  interest  in  medi- 
cine and  dentistry,  the  Department  of  Public  Welfare  of  the 
State  saw  the  opportunity  to  promote  the  health  and  wel- 
fare of  the  people  by  establishing  in  co-operation  with  the 
University  a great  group  of  State  hospitals.  An  arrangement 


13 


was  made  between  the  Department  of  Public  Welfare  and  the 
University  whereby  the  Department  is  to  erect  a group  of 
hospitals  in  Chicago  which  offer  clinical  facilities  to  the  Uni- 
versity College  of  Medicine,  while  the  University  is  to  erect 
adjacent  thereto  and  on  State  land  research  laboratories,  li- 
braries, and  classrooms  to  be  used  and  operated  in  connec- 
tion with  the  clinical  hospitals.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  plans 
ever  conceived  for  medical  education  and  research  in  the  pro- 
motion of  public  health.  The  attention  of  every  citizen  of 
Chicago  should  be  directed  to  this  great  project  which  is  de- 
scribed in  some  detail  by  the  Dean  of  the  College  of  Medi- 
cine and  the  Director  of  Public  Welfare  in  a recent  number 
of  The  Modern  Hospital.  Land  has  been  purchased  and  the 
foundations  laid  for  several  of  these  buildings.  The  advance 
in  the  cost  of  construction  has  made  it  impossible  to  finish 
those  projected  for  this  biennium.  The  project  will  require 
for  its  completion  appropriations  aggregating  $2,500,000,  and 
the  budgets  of  the  Department  of  Public  Welfare  and  the 
University  will  make  provision  for  further  work.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  Association  should  acquaint  themselves  with  this 
project  and  lend  it  their  support. 

Legislative  Budget 

To  meet  the  needs  of  the  University,  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees has  decided  to  lay  before  the  legislature  a budget  calling 
for  $5,250,000  a year  from  the  State  for  all  purposes.  The 
Trustees  propose  that  $4,000,000  per  year  be  appropriated  for 
operation,  maintenance,  equipment,  and  certain  extensions, 
$2,500,000  of  which  will  come  from  the  existing  two-thirds  of 
a mill  tax  and  $1,500,000  per  year  from  general  revenue. 

They  further  propose  an  appropriation  of  $250,000  a year 
for  each  year  of  the  biennium  for  the  specific  purpose  of  start- 
ing a new  group  of  agricultural  buildings,  and  a further  ap- 
propriation of  $1,000,000  per  year  during  the  next  biennium 
for  other  buildings  that  should  be  started  within  that  period 
to  meet  the  University’s  growing  needs. 


14 


Tn  addition  to  the  foregoing  the  Board  of  Trustees  will 
ask  for  legislation  changing  somewhat  the  present  financial 
policy  with  reference  to  the  University.  In  the  first  place, 
it  will  request  that  the  tax  rate  he  made  one  mill  on  the  dollar 
of  assessed  valuation  as  it  used  to  he  instead  of  two-thirds  of 
a mill  as  at  present.  If  this  is  done,  the  annual  income  from 
that  source  will  he  approximately  $4,000,000,  the  amount  the 
Trustees  are  requesting  for  operation  and  maintenance  for 
each  year  of  the  next  biennium. 

In  order  to  make  it  possible  for  the  University  to  have  a 
continuous  policy  with  reference  to  building,  the  Board  will 
ask  the  legislature  to  pass  an  additional  tax  levy  of  one- 
fourth  of  a mill,  which  as  above  stated,  is  to  be  sought  for 
the  next  two  years  through  specific  appropriations  for  that 
purpose,  to  provide  the  $1,000,000  per  year  for  the  building 
needs  of  the  University. 

Your  Committee’s  Recommendations 

The  most  careful  study  which  we  have  been  able  to  give 
this  whole  matter  convinces  ns  that  conditions  at  the  Uni- 
versity are  far  short  of  what  they  should  be  because  of  in- 
adequate financial  support.  We  believe  that  the  requests  for 
appropriations  and  changes  in  the  mill  tax  law  which  the 
Board  has  decided  to  lay  before  the  legislature  are  reasonable 
and  should  be  granted.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  amount 
of  money  asked  for  is  reasonable,  and  can  be  readily  justified. 
It  is  considerably  below  that  which  is  being  requested  by  the 
universities  of  several  other  states,  whose  student  enrollments 
are  less  than  that  of  Illinois.  The  sum  in  the  aggregate  is 
not  large  for  a state  of  the  population  and  wealth  of  Illinois. 
The  proposed  budget  calls  for  an  appropriation  of  $4,000,000 
per  year  for  operation,  maintenance,  etc.,  as  against  $2,500,000 
now  secured,  an  increase  of  only  60  per  cent  instead  of  the 
large  amount  which  the  doubling  of  the  student  body  and  the 
reduced  purchasing  power  of  the  dollar  would  seem  to  call  for. 


15 


We  are  informed  that  this  moderate  increase  has  been  asked 
because  of  the  anticipation  of  a gradual  lowering  of  inflated 
values  and  reduction  of  the  cost  of  living.  The  larger  part 
of  the  money  for  operation  will  go  into  wages  and  salaries 
of  new  and  existing  positions,  and  for  supplies,  and  a 60  per 
cent  increase  for  these  purposes  seems  not  unreasonable. 

Your  committee,  therefore,  recommends  that  The  Chicago 
Association  of  Commerce  again  take  active  part  before  the 
appropriations  committees  of  the  legislature  in  furthering  the 
interests  of  the  University  by  urging  that  the  financial  plan 
of  the  Trustees  be  adopted  as  submitted. 

(Signed)  WILLIAM  P.  SIDLEY,  Chairman, 
AUGUSTUS  S.  PEABODY, 

C.  M.  MODERWELL, 
FREDERICK  H.  SCOTT. 

Approved  March  4,  192.1 

Executive  Committee 

The  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 


